Private Mentoring Sessions

We are all looking to to improve as artists but how do we go about it? How can we be more successful artistically and professionally?

In this 4 month mentoring course you will be given the tools for creating better artworks, open your creativity and career focus.

This is open to all skill levels, media, and styles.

The $600. course will consist of one hour each month over 4 months on a video call. During the length of this course you will be working on your art using strategies for improvement and artistic success.

There will be assignments each month and Ken will be working in the time between for you as well.

You will determine your goals and with Ken's help, you will have the inspiration, confidence and skills to efficiently hit the marks as a professional and successful artist.

IN THIS COURSE:

	As an artist: Setting your goals Determining your artistic direction Styles and motifs Attitude The course fee is paid in advance and your scheduling dates are flexible. Courses will open to a limited number of participants. Contact Ken Register with Pay Pal on the website Mentoring Page What they are saying... "I had a clue what might be in store for my friends, but it went WAY beyond. You have a real gift. FANTASTIC!!!" "Thank you, Ken. I have to confess this is stretching my boundaries farther than they've been pushed in a long time! But I'm excited to go where I've certainly never gone before!" BLUE WISH Oil on canvas, 36 X 36 inches $5100 unframed Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT More about this oil on Ken's blog, For the Color

New Work: Red Borders, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Red Borders
Oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches     $2150 unframed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

It is always an interesting exercise to paint a piece with one predominant color. In this case, it's these red trees. My original idea was to make the trees fill the entire area, but as the painting moved forward, a different composition presented itself.

A bright stripe emerged and that became the lake or stream. From there, the composition began to move back into the space behind the trees, opening up the opportunity to try out more reds. The sky and blue hill in the far back helped to frame the red trees in the back and it made for a more interesting composition.

Funny how the painting will make demands on the artist and those background trees were very insistent on being more interesting than I had first intended. After 3-4 different experiments and variations, the far trees settled into place and from there, it is was a matter of bringing is more color and light where needed.

Funny how the background ended up taking much more time than the trees in front. The extra effort made for a far better oil with extra complexity and two more reds... it's like the cherry on top!

New Work: At the Creeks Edge, oil panel, 24 x 24 inches

At the Creeks Edge
Oil panel, 24 x 24 inches  $2150 unframed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

This small group of trees in the meadow got my attention. The foreground had a small path running through it and the background was a large line of darker trees. Everything was green and from the start, I set out to create something more interesting.

The painting was ‘completed’ 4 or 5 times and after each try, I noticed an opportunity to make the oil even better. All of the changes might sound frustrating to some, but the chance for improvement is very appealing to me.

One of the early changes was to convert the path into a creek that made a reflective ribbon, dividing the grasses in the foreground.

The background went through many alterations with each change, more complexity and color intensity emerged. It is easy to overwork these pieces as the painting went forward, I took care to add intricate layers and interest to the trees, not diminishing their appeal.

Finally, everything was made brighter and the colors were enriched. It felt good to put my signature on this one.

New Works: Soft Summer Light and Summer Song, oils on panel 30 x 30 inches

SOFT SUMMER LIGHT
Oil on canvas, 30 X 30 inches $3700 unframed
Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT

SUMMER SONG
Oil on canvas, 30 X 30 inches $3700 unframed
Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT

Summers produce an abundance of green and considerably less color options than a colorful fall provides. The challenge set forth with these two oils was that they would have summer in the title and that they would have to be compelling works, despite the solid green summer fields and trees.

So, what’s the plan? 

When I was a newly-minted painter, I would use the few greens I had purchased and invariably, my works would be too green, too much the same and not very attractive. Greens are a trap for many landscape painters including myself back then, so to be a better painter, other strategies had to be developed as quickly as possible.

In this oil, a variety of greens in muted tones are put into play. The landscape can be awash in green but the overall effect is subdued. The colors are a bit more muted and the overall effect is softer and it allows the other interesting colors to share the space.

Summer just got a bit more interesting.

New Work: In the Colorful Forest, oil on canvas, 36 x 72 inches

In the Colorful Forest
Oil on canvas, 36 x 72 inches   $9950 framed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

Creating this oil was pure joy. It is all about patterns and color and the combinations are endless. A lot of moves were made here. The forest was much less populated in the earlier versions and the colors more subdued.

As I added more trees to improve the composition, the painting called out for more color. Additional density was added to the background leaves along with a bit of aqua to the upper right.

Once the aqua was in place, it made the rest of the oil seem a bit duller, a happy problem that was solved with brighter color and more of them. Every color was taken higher and as they were added,  the forest came alive.

Who would think that a bit of aqua would require changes across the entire 6 foot expanse? That is how I see things and it is a delight to be an artist.

Workshop: Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn 4-day intensive Art Workshop, April 25-28, 2019

Ken Elliott Summer Sunset, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn 4-day intensive Art Workshop

Castle Rock, CO (Denver metro)

Thurs-Sun, April 25-28, 2019
9:30 am - 4:30 pm daily

workshop flyer
Limited to 8 artists, $750 each, 2 spaces left
Contact Ken

Open to artists in all media. This is a two-instructor workshop for artists wanting to make advancements in their techniques and strategies.

Casey and Ken will have ample time to give very focused attention to individuals and offer a number of provoking ideas to the group and they will do demos in oil and pastel.

Also, Ken will present simple Photoshop techniques for taking your works to the next level and creating better pathways for finishing your artworks.

You will be given a Photoshop instruction guide and have access to Ken's personal photo file of over 1500 inspiring images by various artists.

These workshops typically sell out, so sign up soon!
Register with Pay Pal

From a recent Casey Klahn / Ken Elliott Workshop

Casey Klahn  Long Remembered, New Vision Pastel, 13 x 21 inches

Ken Elliott  Evening Light, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches

Casey Klahn  The Rain, the Light & the River, pastel, 11 3/4 x 18 1/4 inches

Ken Elliott  Gathering Light II  oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

Making It Fine Art Workshop / Castle Rock, March 2019

Some of the results from the sold out class.  More photos below

We just finished up the latest Making it Fine Art Workshop: Moving to the Next Level class last weekend. It was a pleasure working with this wonderful group of artists and watching the breakthroughs emerge!

Thank you all for filling the class and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!

Here's what's coming up next:

My next Workshop with be with Casey Klahn and me in Castle Rock, CO, Thurs-Sun, April 25-28 Complete info and registration workshop flyer
Limited to 8 artists, $750 each, 4 spaces left
Contact Ken

Open to artists in all media. This is a two-instructor workshop for artists wanting to make advancements in their techniques and strategies. Casey and Ken will have ample time to give very focused attention to individuals and offer a number of provoking ideas to the group.

More photos from the March, 2019 Workshop:

Workshop Video: What Really Goes on in Ken Elliott's Fine Art Workshop

Ken talks about his Fine Art Workshops

View the Video

Next Workshop

Fri - Sun, February 23-24, 2019

A 2 1/2 day Workshop

Making it Fine Art: Moving to the Next Level with Ken Elliott

Limited to 8 artists, $390 each. More information and registration on the website.

Open to artists in all media.

Contact Ken about possible transportation arrangements
.
This is a new, advanced version of Ken's Making it Fine Art Workshop. We will be going deeper into making better and more appealing artworks with a variety of strategies and with Photoshop insights made easy.
Limited to 6 artists, $390 each.
Contact Ken

New Work: Winter Contrast, pastel on paper, 15 1/4 x 19 inches

Winter Contrast  pastel on paper, 15 1/4 x 19 inches  $2250 framed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

In this pastel I've revisited an idea from some years ago. The colors are accentuated except in the middle snow and the foreground trees.

Every part of this pastel has interesting notes and to get there, I kept working the different areas to bring them to life with rich color and soft overlays.

The pastel looks fairly bright but it really is how the richer colors are emerging from the grey tones. It was a bit of an adventure, although on a smaller scale to pull it all together and I can honestly say that it was years in the making. 

Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn Workshop Intensive October 4-8, 2018

Casey and I just completed our 4 day Workshop and we are proud of all the hard work put in by the attendees and the great results they had.

Throughout the 4 days, a number of different concepts and images were created by the artists. We sought inspiration, explored possibilities and even copied the masters.

Much was learned and we had a remarkable time together.

Casey and I will do it again in 2019, Thurs-Sun April 25-28. Sign up information will be on Ken's website in a few days. We hope to see you there!


Photos from the class:

Casey's pastel demonstrations:

Ken's 36 x 36 oil demo:

Artworks by the attendees:

New Work: Forest Sequence I, oil on canvas 48 x 120 inches

Forest Sequence I, oil on  two, 48 x 60 inch canvases, total size, 48 x 120 inches  $2400 unframed

Sometimes you just want to go bigger with an idea. With this oil and the 10' expanse, I was able to create an expressive forest view where all is simplified and surrounded in a soft, colored atmosphere.

Care was taken to keep a limited color selection and also to subtly move the color across the canvas from left to right. There is a lot of atmosphere here and it becomes more obvious when the foliage is reduced on the right side. As the oil developed, I became more aware of the lateral possibilities and seeing back into the forest.

Staged installation

It became a painting of nuances, a sweeping view of trees plainly seen and many others receding into the background. It was a joy to watch this come to life on the canvas.

Grateful Notices: Light Diffusing, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

Light Diffusing   Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
private collection
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

I started this oil while I was doing private lessons. The idea being presented was to grey down all of the colors and create a sunlit piece without the need for saturated colors and bright effects. Parts of the painting still appear to be bright but it's a nice illusion. The brighter colors are in reserve - they are not used here, but more vibrancy could have been brought in if needed.

Since the colors are not a full strength, it allows for the delicate purples and blue-greens to play a prominent role here and there, breaking up the line of trees and making this part of the forest more interesting. It's a good strategy for making every color count and creating a softer mood.

The composition went through numerous changes, simplifying each time with the end result being a painting equally focused on color and composition.

My thanks to the collectors that purchased this work. It's always an honor.

New Work: Light Diffusing, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

Light Diffusing, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches  $6650 framed

Typically I'm working with pretty bright colors, but in this oil I purposely greyed down all of the chroma to create a softer image. Parts of the painting still appear to be bright but it's a nice illusion. There are brighter colors in reserve - they are not used here, but more vibrancy can be brought in if needed.

Since the colors are not a full strength, it allows for the delicate purples and blue-greens to play a prominent role here and there, breaking up the line of trees and making this part of the forest more interesting. It's a good strategy for making every color count and creating a softer mood.

New Workshop Video: What Really Goes on in Ken Elliott's Fine Art Workshops

Ken talks about his Fine Art Workshops

View the Video

Next workshop: Colorado / May 26-27, 2018
Three spots left

Complete info / register on the web

Next Workshop:
Castle Rock, CO  2018
Sat - Sun, May 26-27
Making it Fine Art / Advanced Strategies
2 1/2-Day Workshop with Ken Elliott in his Castle Rock home/studio

$390 per person
Workshop Flyer   Contact Ken

Sat - Sun, 9am-4 pm
Sun evening after break, 4:30 -6, Photoshop Tools

Open to artists in all media.

Contact Ken about possible lodging and transportation arrangements
.
This is a new, advanced version of Ken's Making it Fine Art Workshop. We will be going deeper into making better and more appealing artworks with a variety of strategies and with Photoshop insights made easy.
Limited to 6 artists, $390 each.
Contact Ken

Video: Blue Skyscape, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches

Blue Skyscape, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches  $7500 framed
Exhibiting: Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, NY

In this video Ken describes what makes this predominately blue sunset a success without the usual setting sun effects and offers a strategy to keep this large painting compelling in all directions.  2 minutes